Nozzle apparatus for cementitious materials

ABSTRACT

A system for pumping a cementitious mix from a hopper and introducing it into remotely located cavity spaces, for instance between masonry units, or into cracks in walls, or into spaces inside hollow door or window frames, etc. The disclosure provides a flexible conduit connected between a pump and a discharge nozzle, and in particular includes actuating means at the nozzle end of the conduit for starting and stopping the pumping action, as distinguished from controlling the flow in the conduit using valves. When the pump is running the nozzle discharges the mix and then strikes the joint immediately thereafter as the nozzle is moved along to provide in combination with the pumping control an efficient system for completing such joints.

United States Patent 1 1 I 1111 3,768,939

Gramling Oct. 30, 1973 1 NOZZLE APPARATUS FOR 1,061,085 5 1913 Kolson 15 2353 CEMENTITIOUS MATERIALS [76] Inventor: Wesley A. Gramling, 6804 Glenmont St., Falls Church, Va. 22042 Primary ExaminerSamue1 F. Coleman Attorney-Alexander & Dowell [57] ABSTRACT [22] Filed: Feb. 18, 1971 A system for pumping a cement1t1ous rn1x from a hop- PP per and introducing it into remotely located cavity spaces, for instance between masonry units, or into cracks in walls, or into spaces inside hollow door or 52 us. c1. .Q 4 5 Int Cl l 2 6 1 93: window frames, etc. The disclosure provides a flexible 58 Field of Se a-.1; 2571 1 11 c 104.5 cmmected between a Pump and a dischage nozzle, and in particular includes actuating means at the nozzle end of the conduit for starting and stopping the pumping action, as distinguished from controlling the flow in the conduit using valves. When the pump is [56] Q References Cited running the nozzle discharges the mix and then strikes UNITED STATES PATENTS Y the joint immediately thereafter as the nozzle is moved 2,625,816 H1953 Spallone 25/1 18 D along to provide in combination with [he a 2,820,672 l/l958 Arce etal... 25 104.5 x l t l h 3,162,328 [2,1964 Flume-W 222/3865 X contro an efficient sys em for comp e mg suc oints. 3,510,924 5/1970 Kramer 25/ 104.5 1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures Patented Oct. 30, 1973 3,768,939

2 Sheets-Sheet l FIG. 1

Patented Oct. 30, 1973 3,768,939-

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 FIG. 4 2 3g I M T 1 I Q 23" I grout mixes into cavities or openings to be filled thereby, for instance for applying mortar between bricks or tiles on a wall, or for filling voids such as those within metal door or window frames, etc.

There have of course been a number of prior-art systems for pumping mortar or'other cementitious materials from a large hopper into pre-formed cavities, but generally such prior art systems have served simply to continuously pump all of the cementitious mix from the hopper into the cavity without stopping. The problem which the present invention seeks to solve arises when the flow of the cementitious material through the conduit must be frequently started and stopped. When the flow has been stopped and then subsequently an effort is made to commence the material flowing again, the tendency is to find the conduit hopelessly clogged.

Most of the prior art systems do not involve intermit-' tent interruption in the flow of the cementitious material. Experience has shown that'when a valve system is used in a conduit to stop the flow in the vicinity of the discharge end, assuming that the conduit is not a large diameter gravity feed chute, the flow cannot generally be restarted. For example if the pump is allowed to continue running while at the same time the flow is stopped at the discharge end of a conduit of, say one inch cementitious the cementitions mix is squeezed inside the conduit and is packed therein in such a way as to render it virtually non-flowable. This is generally the result of squeezing the water out of the cementitious material so that it becomes more nearly a solid. Some mixes flow more easily than others, but in general they are all characterized by being mere suspensions of solid particulates in water, the water being squeezed out or settling out of the mix quite easily.

In the construction of masonry walls, the practice of supporting masonry units such as bricks or tiles, on metal hanger strips fastened to an existing structure is becoming increasingly popular; The bricks are held by the hanger strips in mutually spaced final positionswhich they will occupy after the mortar has been introduced between and/or behind the bricks. Generally, the mortar is introduced by hand at the present time.

It is a principle object of this invention to provide an improved system for pumping cementious materials such as mortar or grout from a hopper located near the base of a wall through a flexible conduit to a discharge nozzle which is hand-supported by an operator working at a location partway up the wall. It is a lengthy and difficult job to manually insert mortar around spaced bricks supported on hanger strips in the manner set forth above. However, the present system provides a very quick and efficient way of introducing mortar, and at the same time provides improved quality of the finished wall.

It is not possible for the operator to continuously introduce the mortar between the bricks becuase it is necessary for him to pause occasionally to move from one course of bricks to the next adjacent course, sometimes the stop involving a change in position of the ladder or scaffolding upon which he is standing. Since the valving-off of mortar flow by the operator even for a brief instant of time while the operator moves from one course to another has proven to result in clogging of the conduit, a new means of control has been devised whereby the flow of the mortar is temporarily interrupted by stopping the pump at the base of the wall. In

order to fully appreciate the practical factors involved, it is important to note that the mortar is not to be discharged from the conduit with any degree of pressure, which pressure would tend to dislodge the bricks from the metal hangers and also cause undesired bulging of the mortar at adjacent points in the wall. Instead, the mortar must merely flow out of the discharge end of the conduit at a relatively slow and uniform rate. Another serious problem with the control of the flow of mortar using closable valves resides in the fact that on the few occasions when closing of the valve for a brief interval 'does not clog the conduit, reopening of the valve causes a momentary surge at an undesirably high rate which generally results in loss of control by the operator with regard to placement of the mortar. It is extremely important that the'mortar always be placed 'very precisely between the bricks, and that it never be allowed to flow, over the outer surface of the bricks. This is becau se'of the fact that it costs more to clean spilled mortar from the surface of the brick than a power driven pumping system could save in time and labor.-

It is therefore a major object of this invention to provide a pumping system capable of halting from time to time the flow of mortar at the nozzle without clogging the conduit, while at the same time providing highly accurate control of the flow of mortar, such control being continuously predictable by the person guiding the nozzle. The present invention provides a remote actuator located at the nozzle and under the immediate control of the operator, such actuator controlling the pumping of the mortar into the lower end of the conduit. The inventive combination further includes a motor which drives the pump through a suitable transmission including a gear reducer and a clutch, the clutch having means for controlling engagement of the drive to the pump and in turn being controlled by the operators actuator at the nozzle. Moreover, in the event that an intemal combustion engine is used to drive the transmission, instead of an electricmotor for example,'it is desirable to provide means for controlling the throttle of the engine so that the engine is throttled-up when the clutch is engaged and throttled-down to idle when the clutch is disengaged. This system of control works well in a practical installation, and by careful selection of the gear reducer will provide just the right flow of mortar while at the same time avoiding surges or lags in the control of mortar flow.

It is another important object of this invention to provide a nozzle having an improved shape making it easy to guide across the faced a masonry wall using an outstanding lip to help support the nozzle'on the upper edge of each course of bricks. The nozzle also includes a guide plate having a bulged surface near its trailing edge following the discharge opening in the nozzle for striking the joint between the courses of brick as the nozzle is moved therealong.

The applicant has found that the cementious mix can be optimized to make it easier to pump, for instance using a mix comprising one part of masonry cement to onepart of zonolite filler, or to three parts of perlite filler. Either of these mixtures can be pumped quite well through a Moyno pump, for instance of the type designated CDR-2L3, this pump being manufactured by Moyno Pump Division, Robbins and Meyers, Inc., Springfield, Ohio. A reinforced elastomeric hose having a V4 inch inside diameter serves very well for the conduit in the present system.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the following discussion of the drawings, wherein:

FIG. I is a prospective view showing a pumping system according to the present invention pumping grout into a masonry wall;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the pumping system according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a prospective view of the discharge end of the conduit showing a nozzle according to the present invention and an electric push button attached to the conduit and serving to control the pumping action;

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional elevation view showing a nozzle disposed in position between two bricks; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view looking down on a nozzle according to the present invention applying mortar on top of a course of bricks and striking the joint as the nozzle travels from right to left along the course.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the pumping system comprises a chassis 1 preferably equipped with ground engaging wheels 2 and a roller 3 so that the pumping unit can be moved around as different portions of a masonry structure are completed. The chassis 1 supports a pump 5 which is advantageously located directly beneath a concrete hopper 6 so that the contents of the hopper can feed directly into the pump by gravity. The shaft 5a of the pump is driven by a gear box 8 designated to reduce the rotation rate of its input shaft 8a to a speed suitable for pumping the concrete mix. The input shaft 8a of the gear box carries a magnetic clutch 9 which is driven by belt means 10 from a prime mover to be discussed shortly. The gear box 8, the clutch and its engaging means 9, and the belt means 10 comprise the transmission means of the pumping system.

The transmission can receive its power from any suitable prime mover, for instance from an electric motor (not shown), or from a gasoline engine, the latter being generally indicated by the reference character 12 in FIGS. 1 and 2, and including an output shaft 13 supporting a pulley 14 comprising part of the belt drive means 10. In the event that an electric motor is used, there would usually be no need for controlling the speed of the motor to make it idle when not driving the pump, but this would not be true of a gasoline engine. Therefore, suitable means must be provided for controlling the throttle (not shown) of the engine, and the present disclosure in the practical embodiment thereof employs a solenoid 15 as the speed controller. A very practical solenoid for this purpose is to be found in present-day marine outboard engines, the solenoid serving to close the choke on large engines during electric starting. In this disclosure such a solenoid 15 is connected to open the throttle on the engine when the solenoid is energized. A suitable battery 17 is employed to furnish the power to energize the electric clutch 9 and the throttle solenoid 15, both of which are connected in parallel, through electrical control system wiring 18 running to a push button actuator switch 19 located at the outer end of the conduit 4 which connects the pump 5 with the discharge nozzle 20 adjacent to the push button l9.

Referring now to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the nozzle 20 comprises a tubular portion 21 having a bore 22 which couples smoothly into the internal bore through the conduit 4, the tubular portion 21 being connected by suitable couplings 23 and 24 to the end of the conduit. The discharge end of the tubular portion 21 is preferably flattened at its mouth 25 so as to present an elongated narrow opening approximating in height the spacing between adjacent courses of brick B. The outer end of the nozzle has a guide plate 28 designed to move in'the direction of the arrow A as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. The leading edge 29 of the guide plate 28 is curved away from the brick as can be seen in FIG. 3 so as to make it easy to slide the plate 28 across the bricks in the direction of the arrow A. The trailing surface of the plate is bulged toward the brick as at 30 in FIGS. 3 and 5 so that the cementious mix M introduced into the joint by the nozzle will subsequently be pressed into the joint by the bulged surface 30 which effectively strikes the mortar as shown at S in FIG. 5. Thus, the nozzle 20 including the tubular portion 21 and plate 28 can be slid along the brick faces F in the direction of the arrow A to provide in one pass a substantially finished mortar job. Each time a void V is reached between the adjacent ends of two bricks B as shown in FIG. 5, the operator pauses for a moment to allow mortar M flowing from the nozzle to descend into the void to fill it. These vertical joints have to be struck by hand, preferably by an assistant worker following the'operator who handles the nozzle.

In addition, as can be seen in FIGS. 3, 4 and'S a lip 32 is provided which stands outwardly from the guide plate 28 just in front of the bulged striking surface 30 and extends partway into the space between the bricks far enough to lend support and guidance to the end of the nozzle where it contacts the bricks, thereby to support part of the weight of the conduit and nozzle and also to make it easier to discharge the mortar cleanly into the joints without liklihood that the nozzle might slip down and apply mortar to the outer face F of the brick, which must never become fouled by misplaced mortar.

In operation, the operator pours a batch of mixed mortar into the hopper, or else mixes ittherein and then starts the pump working while he holds the nozzle 7 20 so that it will return its discharge back into the hopper 6. In this way, the system can be allowed to run for a moment until the mortar is well mixed and the material leaving the nozzle is of uniform consistency. The pump is then stopped by releasing the push button actuator 19 at the nozzle, and the operator then proceeds to apply the nozzle to the joint between two courses of bricks. Again, he starts the pump operating, and moves the nozzle in such a direction that the curved leading end 29 of the guide plate 28 precedes the bulged striking surface 30. The guide plate 28 also serves to confine the mortar in the immediate vicinity of discharge, and cause it to push back deeper into the joint between bricks rather than to extrude outwardly around the nozzle and sag down across the outer face F of the brick. The nozzle is moved continuously in the direction of the arrow A, slowing down each time a vertical joint V is reached so as to fill that joint. When the operator reaches the end of one course of bricks, he then releases the push button 19 to stop the pump while he goes back to the beginning of the next adjacent course. When the mortar is used up in the hopper, a new batch can be mixed and entered into the hopper before the pumpactually runs out of mortar, or alternatively, the

system can be rinsed out and the process started all over again with a new batch in a clean system. It is important to rinse out the system whenever there is to be a pause of more than a very few minutes, and for this purpose the operator can simply drop a hose into the This invention is not to be limited to the exact form shown in the drawings, for obviously changes may be made within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Nozzle apparatus for use in pumping a cementitious mix from a hopper into cavity spaces between regularly spaced masonry units having exposed outer faces, the mix being pumped by a pump connected between the hopper and one end of a flexible conduit which carries the nozzle apparatus at its other end, said nozzle apparatus comprising a tubular member having a discharge end no wider than the spacing between the masonry units, a guide plate attached transversely to the tubular member at its discharge end and adapted to slide across said outer faces of the masonry units, and the plate having a central opening exposing the discharge end of the tubular member through which it can discharge mix in the direction of said cavity spaces, the plate being sealed to said member at said opening and extending in all transverse directions from the member by distances sufficient that the plate overlies part of the faces of adjacent masonry units and the cavity spaces therebetween so that the plate confines the mix to the cavity spaces therebetween as it is discharged from the member, the plate having a leading portion curved away from said outer faces to facilitate sliding thereacross and having a trailing portion including a part of its surface bulged to enter the cavity space between units and strike the mix after it has been discharged thereinto, and the nozzle having a lip located along the lower edge of the discharge opening and extending from the plate in the direction of discharge to rest upon the masonry units and guide the nozzle as it slides thereacross. 

1. Nozzle apparatus for use in pumping a cementitious mix from a hopper into cavity spaces between regularly spaced masonry units having exposed outer faces, the mix being pumped by a pump connected between the hopper and one end of a flexible conduit which carries the nozzle apparatus at its other end, said nozzle apparatus comprising a tubular member having a discharge end no wider than the spacing between the masonry units, a guide plate attached transversely to the tubular member at its discharge end and adapted to slide across said outer faces of the masonry units, and the plate having a central opening exposing the discharge end of the tubular member through which it can discharge mix in the direction of said cavity spaces, the plate being sealed to said member at said opening and extending in all transverse directions from the member by distances sufficient that the plate overlies part of the faces of adjacent masonry units and the cavity spaces therebetween so that the plate confines the mix to the cavity spaces therebetween as it is discharged from the member, the plate having a leading portion curved away from said outer faces to facilitate sliding thereacross and having a trailing portion including a part of its surface bulged to enter the cavity space between units and strike the mix after it has been discharged thereinto, and the nozzle having a lip located along the lower edge of the discharge opening and extending from the plate in the direction of discharge to rest upon the masonry units and guide the nozzle as it slides thereacross. 